Senators Stay Put in Hideaways

Sen. Daniel Inouye (left) decided against a new hideaway, while Sen. Carl Levin (right) scored a space that belonged to former Sen. Chris Dodd.

But Senators often guard the locations of their hideaways with the same veracity they would a matter of national security. Neither the Senators nor their staffs would divulge where the new refuges are, or who used to occupy them.

The top choices would likely have been the spaces vacated by Byrd, Hatch and Levin, or former Sen. Arlen Specterís (D-Pa.) old digs, a first-floor office with double doors, large windows and a view of the Supreme Court. Levinís old hideaway, by contrast, is in the basement and looks out over the West Front, a decidedly more coveted vista.

Every other Senator in the top 20 of the seniority list is staying put, with the exception of Reid, whose staff is currently looking at spaces. Of course, with a plush leadership office, the hideaway would be more of a score for the Senatorís staff. They would be the ones using it, a staffer said.